Shades of Change
by Jara
Summary: Epilogue to 3rd season's Shades of Grey (S/J UST/Frienship)


Shades of Change  
  
by Jara Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. I'm just borrowing.  
  
A/N: This is an epilogue to 3rd season episode "Shades of Grey". It's not much of a plot, just a fic cause my paper didn't want to work with me and I think my muse wanting something different than writing about hermits. And of course thanks to my beta Ann!  
  
Feedback is highly appreciated.  
  
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Surely they must have been kidding?  
  
Jack O'Neill takes a sip from the beer bottle standing next to the chessboard on his table. The cool liquid slides down his throat towards the pit of his stomach to join the wrenched up feeling there. The bottle leaves his lips again with an audible 'pop' and he puts it back down on the wooden surface. His dark brown eyes search for the best strategic move to make but once again his mind doesn't allow him to think about chess for more than a couple of minutes.  
  
He goes nuts, steals alien technology, is forced to retire and *his* team draws straws about who gets to talk to him. So much for friendship...  
  
He growls when he realises he's sulking and stands up, stretching his legs.  
  
So what if they didn't care? It isn't like he ever needed anyone in his life before.  
  
It's not like him to sulk about anything. Suffering with quiet dignity, sure. But sulking? So not a Jack O'Neill thing to do.  
  
Maybe he should go and quietly suffer with dignity in the garden. His feet are about to bring him there when the doorbell rings. Instead of heading towards the garden he changes course and goes to open the door. Not that he really is up to company but it sure as hell beats the risk of ending up sulking in the garden.  
  
The door is open just about ten seconds and suddenly his house is being invaded.  
  
"You owe us a drink." Daniel declares as he steps into the living and shrugs off his coat.  
  
Teal'c follows right behind him. "I do believe that a compensation for keeping this information from us is in order." He declares and takes a seat in the armchair, thus claiming the Colonel's favourite sitting spot.  
  
Sam is still standing on the step to his house and gives him a shy smile.  
  
"Come in, Major." He decides she at least has earned an invitation as she is the only non-rude one in the invading party.  
  
"Is that so?" He turns towards the two intruders as he sees Carter take off her black leather jacket.  
  
"Yeah." Comes the simple answer from Daniel who is bowed over the chessboard. He leans forward to pick up the black knight.  
  
"Hey! Don't touch that." Jack quickly walks up to him and carefully places the board out of the archaeologist's reach.  
  
"But you should really..." Daniel starts but Jack throws him a glare to make him shut up. He places the board on top of the closet and then heads into the kitchen to go retrieve four beer bottles.  
  
When he comes back out again, Teal'c is still sitting in his chair. Daniel is half lying down in the couch and Sam is hovering in front of his bookcase.  
  
Jack puts the bottles down on the table and hands one to Sam who accepts it without taking her eyes away from the books. As leisurely as he can fake to be, Jack leans his shoulder against the doorframe and watches his 2IC amused. She pulls out a book that has caught her interest and looks at the title and author. Her cheeks turn a lovely shade of red as she recognises it and quickly pushes it back into it's place. She turns on her heels and tries to ineffectively suppress the grin spreading further.  
  
Daniel remains ignorant to what is happening to Sam as he is staring at the label of his bottle. "Don't you have anything else to drink?" He asks, looking up.  
  
"Nope." Jack answers and tears his eyes away from Carter towards the armchair where Teal'c is still sitting up way too straight. If he didn't know any better he would swear that Teal'c is grinning over something. Whether it is Sam's embarrassment or the fact that he has taken Jack's favourite sitting spot is unclear.  
  
"Are you telling me that you were a full week on retirement and didn't even bother to go out and buy coffee?" Daniel stares at him in disbelieve.  
  
"Seems so." Jack shrugs and takes a swig from his beer.  
  
Daniel shakes his head in disbelieve. Seeing this is the only option he takes a careful sip from the bottle and scrunches up his face.  
  
Jack chuckles. "We'll make a man out of you yet, Daniel." He smirks.  
  
Teal'c lifts up his eyebrow. "Why would drinking beer make a man out of Daniel Jackson? Is he not already one?"  
  
"That remains to be seen." Jack can't help but tease him.  
  
"I have already seen that Daniel Jackson is a man indeed." Teal'c notes matter of factly.  
  
Carter who is now standing next to Jack starts giggling at that.  
  
"Hey! No...!" Jack sighs and cuts off his remark. "I'll go and get you some water."  
  
"No, no. It's alright. This is fine." Daniel waves for Jack to remain where he is.  
  
***  
  
Two hours and three beer bottles later Daniel Jackson is spread out on Jack's carpet, softly snoring. He isn't all too sure how Daniel even got on the ground but only three bottles of beer were enough to get him there. Jack shakes his head amused about how little alcohol this man can take.  
  
Teal'c doesn't seem to be affected at all and is watching with great eagerness how Eugene Tooms slithers his way through the ventilation system of Dana Scully's apartment. On the other side of the couch Sam seems to be as wrapped up in the story as the alien is.  
  
Jack isn't able to concentrate though and ends up half of the time watching Carter instead. Sighing, he quietly slips off of the couch and makes his way into his backyard. His hands wrap around the railing as he looks up into the night sky. The stars never really feel the same anymore now that he knows what is behind the blackness between them. But his mind isn't contemplating the Tollans, the Nox or the Asgard. He's trying to comprehend people like Maybourne and Newman who somehow truly believed that what they are doing is the best thing for earth. Sure, it's easy to try and convince yourself that they're true evil but are they really? He knows for sure that in his past he has made decisions, done things that when now looked upon feel wrong. They didn't at that time though.  
  
Jack is so caught up in his own thoughts that he doesn't hear the door opening behind him and the light footsteps approaching him.  
  
"Beautiful night." The soft voice that belongs to Sam Carter breaks off his thoughts.  
  
"Yeah, it is." He nods in agreement but doesn't turn towards her.  
  
She doesn't reply but he can hear her walking closer to him. When the sound of her footsteps stop, he knows she is standing a mere couple of inches away from him. For a second Jack is tempted to ask her why she didn't come to see him when he retired but instead he takes the conversation to safer grounds.  
  
"Why did you offer to help me when I did something that goes completely against everything the SGC is fighting for?" He frowns as he realises this isn't safe territory at all.  
  
Sam shrugs at that. "Just..." She remains quiet for a while and then picks up again. "It isn't you, sir."  
  
Jack sighs and finds himself staring straight ahead into the dark shadow of the trees. "It used to be me."  
  
"Then you've changed." Carter simply states without elaborating further. He knows she could have started off about telling him how much she believed he would never do that. But the words would have come out as a forced confession that would be unwelcome for the both of them. So the simple statement seems to be everything he needs to understand all the rest, everything that lies beneath it.  
  
Jack smiles at that but doesn't reply. He stares down at this hands that are clasped together. His elbows are now resting on the railing and he can't even remember having moved. In the corner of his eye he notices that Carter is doubling the pose.  
  
"Thanks." He finally breaks the silence and knows that the small word holds more than anyone who doesn't know them could ever be able observe. 'Thanks for offering the help, thanks for getting me off Edora, thanks for saving my butt over and over again, thanks for changing me,...'  
  
"You're welcome." No 'sir', the lack of the little word draws his attention and he turns towards her. The honest smile that lights up her face tells him that she understood his meaning.  
  
Jack smiles back at her and stands straight up again. He stretches out theatrically and grins at her.  
  
"So wanna find out what is the best way to wake Daniel up from a alcohol induced coma?"  
  
Carter nods. "I think water is the best way, sir." She smirks.  
  
Jack grins, liking her way of thinking. "Let's find out, Major."  
  
He smiles as he follows her back into the house. For the first time it hits him how wrong he was when he told her that he hadn't been himself since he met her. After all those years she had given him back that young officer who first joined the USAF. He was fighting for something again. Although he may sound like a cynical veteran nearing his retirement...again... he once more is able to look himself into the eye and know that he is doing the right thing for earth, for the SGC, for his team,... and for himself.  
  
THE END 


End file.
